Beach Boulevard

The Huntington Beach Police Department will hold a DUI checkpoint starting at 9 p.m. Saturday on Beach Boulevard. "The goal of the Huntington Beach Police Department is to prevent serious injury and fatal collisions by arresting DUI drivers before they have the chance to cause a tragedy," the department wrote in a statement. "Impaired driving puts everyone on the road in danger, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that motorists enjoy a safe, crash-free New Year. " Britney Barnes

Eron Ben-Yehuda HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Beach Boulevard, the commercial spine of the city, could use a make-over, city officials say, and they want the public's opinion on the right look. Many of the city's 11 million visitors each year pass along this thoroughfare, which begins at the San Diego Freeway and stretches about five miles to the Pacific Ocean. What they see on the way to the beach leaves a lot to be desired, said David Biggs, the city's economic development director.

Eron Ben-Yehuda The future Flamingo Adult Theater on Beach Boulevard near Talbert Avenue is quickly taking shape, with the foundation finished and the building's frame nearly complete. The sex-oriented business could open its doors as early as January, said Max Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Tatarian family, which owns the property at 18121 Beach Blvd., where a French restaurant once stood. Concerned about attracting prostitution and drug use, the city had fought since 1996 to keep the club out. But judicial decisions protecting an adult entertainment's constitutional freedom to operate forced the city to settle out of court in June.

Huntington Beach police are seeking the public's help developing leads on locating several men suspected in a stabbing and beating last month. Two Huntington Beach men were attacked around 9:45 p.m. July 21 on Beach Boulevard, police said. Police have no leads on the identities of the 10 or more men involved in the attack. A news release was issued a week after the stabbing . "Right now, we have nothing," Det. Mike Reilly said. What police do know is that two men were walking south on Beach Boulevard between Pacific View Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway when three girls ages 16 to 17 years old asked the young men to help them parallel park their vehicle on the east side of Beach Boulevard.

Work on adding a wall and landscaping along Beach Boulevard and improving a parallel frontage road is on track to be done on time in November, according to Duane Wentworth, city project manager. Workers are erecting a mostly decorative 800-foot-long wall on the island between Beach and the frontage road between Taylor and Sterling avenue. The wall may also muffle traffic noise. "As big and as thick as it is, it's more for sound and beautification," Project Inspector Donn Strook said.

Drivers may be a little more cautious in the future, as the city has approved the installation of up to 20 red-light cameras at its most accident-prone intersections. The City Council moved 5-2 to sign an agreement with Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. to study up to 20 of the city’s highest priority intersections to determine if they’re viable candidates for red-light cameras. Within four to six weeks, the City Council will review the results of the survey and approve the locations that will receive cameras.

The future of Beach Boulevard and Edinger Avenue should have fewer strip malls and more luxury apartments, city-hired consultants say. If the city grows 30% as expected in 30 years, there may be little choice to follow the consultants’ advice, they said. At the third of at least four community meetings, those studying the future of the long commercial streets told about 50 residents that making that switch, and focusing retail development into a few more upscale “City Centers,” could be good for business while helping traffic problems.

Fountain Valley man dies in multi-car crash A 19-year-old Fountain Valley man was killed Friday morning in a four-car accident that injured four others near the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Indianapolis Avenue, police said. A white cargo truck and a red Pontiac GTO were traveling southbound on Beach Boulevard when they collided, causing the driver of the Pontiac to lose control and cross the center median into oncoming traffic, police said.

Ashley MacDonald was a talented teenager who liked heavy metal music, favored black clothes, and had a lot of friends and a great sense of humor, family and friends said Wednesday at a funeral service for the 18-year-old Huntington Beach woman. MacDonald's mother Lisa Marie Guy bent down to kiss her one last time before taking her seat. It was half-way through the service while listening to Coldplay's song "Yellow" that Guy broke down, shaking her head several times. About 75 people attended the somber ceremony for Ashley Anne MacDonald at Dilday Brothers Funeral Directors on Beach Boulevard.

Officials have identified the 34-year-old bicyclist killed Sunday after a hit-and-run collision in Huntington Beach as Genevieve Hall. The accident occurred about 8:25 p.m. near Beach Boulevard and Utica Avenue. Officers found Hall lying in the street, according to a statement from police. She was transported to UCI Medical Center, where she later died, the statement said. Based on evidence, authorities believe that a white sedan northbound on Beach hit Hall, who was traveling east on Utica, according to the statement.

A Huntington Beach woman remains in critical condition after she was struck by a pickup truck Wednesday night, according to authorities. Police found the 50-year-old woman around 7:40 p.m. lying in the road near the intersection of Beach Boulevard and Ellis Avenue, according to a Huntington Beach police statement. A 70-year-old Huntington Beach man driving a black Toyota Tacoma pickup truck remained at the scene and was interviewed and released by police. No citations or arrests were made, the statement said.

A Fountain Valley man died Wednesday after being struck by a vehicle in Huntington Beach. Police responded to a traffic injury incident at 5:15 p.m. to the intersection of Garfield Avenue and Persimmon Street. When officers arrived, they found Jungil Lee, 82, on the street and pronounced him dead at the scene, according to a statement by police. The driver, a 52-year-old man from Fountain Valley whom police are not naming, was reportedly driving his gray 2003 Infiniti G35 westbound on Garfield and collided with the victim, who was in the street.

Huntington Beach has adopted its first Bicycle Master Plan to assist the city in creating a better cycling infrastructure. The City Council on Monday largely expressed support for the plan, but it narrowly passed on a 4-3 vote after Councilman Jim Katapodis opted to amend it to exclude bike lanes on Beach Boulevard north of Ellis Avenue, saying the roadways aren't set up to accommodate bikes. The plan would serve as a framework to aid city planners and public works engineers in developing safer routes for bicyclists as well as help in acquiring grants to fund these improvements, according to a presentation given by transportation manager Bob Stachelski.

A woman struck by two vehicles in Huntington Beach on Tuesday morning is in critical condition, according to police. The 34-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, was found unconscious on Beach Boulevard, north of Edinger Avenue about 2:40 a.m. Authorities said she was walking east across Beach underneath the 405 Freeway overpass when she was hit by a 36-year-old man from Garden Grove in a white 2013 Honda Accord traveling north....

A bicyclist was injured after being hit by a vehicle on Pacific Coast Highway on Wednesday afternoon. A male bicyclist was hit by a sedan around 3 p.m. on PCH near Beach Boulevard, according to police. It was unclear which direction the bicyclist was riding. The man was transported to Western Medical Center and is being treated for injuries, authorities said. Police are still investigating the cause of the accident. More details to come. - Anthony Clark Carpio

The fifth annual 3/1 Marine 5K Run/Walk will be held at 8 a.m. March 9 starting in the parking lot at Beach Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway. The event helps the Third Battalion/First Marines Foundation pay for the programs, projects and activities that support the city's adopted battalion. A pancake breakfast will be served by Huntington Beach firefighters at 8:30 a.m. and is open to the public. Breakfast is $5 per person and is not included in run/walk registration. The fee for the walk is $40. The registration closing date is 5 p.m. March 6 but in-person registration will be available March 8 at the packet pick-up or from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. race day. Information: http://www.HB4Marines.org . * More running to come The Rockin' Shamrock Marathon and Half Marathon will take place at 7:15 a.m. March 17 starting at the Bolsa Chica beach path.

The Huntington Beach City Council voted Monday to approve a site plan review of the Beach and Ellis Mixed Use Project. The project calls for 274 residential units, 8,500 square feet of retail space and parking on 2.74 acres at the southeast corner of Beach Boulevard and Ellis Avenue, according to a city staff report. The project, which was approved by the Planning Commission in May, was appealed by Mayor Don Hansen. Hansen said he didn't appeal it because he disagreed with the Planning Commission's approval of the project, but because he wanted the City Council to review it and voice any concerns early in the process.

A 64-year-old man was pronounced dead late Sunday night after being hit by two vehicles, Huntington Beach police said in a release. Fred Gonzales, a Huntington resident, was crossing Beach Boulevard about 11 p.m. when he was apparently struck by a white 1988 Oldsmobile Tornado sedan, then a white 2008 Ford Ranger pickup truck. Gonzales was pronounced dead at the scene. The drivers of both cars cooperated with police, and no arrests have been made or citations issued yet, according to the release.

The Orange County coroner's office has identified the man struck and killed by a motorist Thanksgiving Day in Huntington Beach. Supervising Deputy Coroner Larry Esslinger said the pedestrian was Marcos Stead, 48. He did not know Stead's city of residence. Stead was hit as he walked across Beach Boulevard south of Edinger Avenue about 7:47 p.m. Nov. 24, the Los Angeles Times reported. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver of the vehicle was not arrested.